I Wonder
by NeoNails
Summary: 2nd in NEO storyline. What Rogue might have thought afer watching XMen: The Last Stand. It has a bit of Scogue to it, whether friendship or something else... You decide. RR!


Jesú Cristo, how often am I going to do this? Start a story with no intentions of finishing it? Well, no. This one I'm finishing, if it kills me. And, hopefully, I can also completely my part 2 of _Princess Next Door_ and maybe squeeze another chapter of one of my other fics. Ah… anyway,

**Warning:** It has spoilers to the latest X-men movie, so anyone who hasn't seen it yet, this might ruin some of it for you… So, GO AWAY if you don't want to wreck the movie for yourself… but come back once you've seen it. ;)

**Summary:** After watching _X-Men 3: The Last Stand_ (did anyone else see that? It had the best flow of the three movies, in my opinion) it got me thinking. If the same "cure" was developed and offered in XM:E, would Rogue go through with it, too? Just to be sure, I checked, and double-checked, and _triple_ checked all the different possible ways, but, to my fortune, no one had written something like this.

**Rating:** T just because I have a tendency to use less-than-appropriate terms.

$4$

I Wonder…

_Hunh, I never knew there was a tiny caricature of Bugs Bunny on my ceiling._

Now, normally Rogue would be doing something much more constructive than staring at the miniscule cracks and fissures on her bedroom ceiling, but she needed a little bit of pointlessness right now. Just this afternoon, she, Kitty, Jean, Scott and Logan all went out to see Hollywood's newest rendition of the X-Men, entitled _X-Men: The Last Stand_. It was hardly surprising- after the Apocalypse catastrophe, the press were swarming, and the latest buzz in the movie world focused solely on the prospect of mutants.

Amazingly, Hollywood had done its homework, researching all of the _real_ X-Men, taking only a few liberties with people's ages and whatnot (well, excusing Kurt's role in the second movie- that was… different), until _this_ movie came out. A new "cure" had been developed by the government, stemming from the study of a mutant by the name of Leech (hadn't he worked with the Callisto and the other Morlocks in the underground mutant base?) and free injections were being offered to any and all mutants as a way to solve their disabilities. By the end of the movie, Rogue, played by Anna Paquin, had taken the injection and was treated- for now.

It brought up some uncomfortable questions. What _if_ there was some kind of experimental fix for the irregularity that caused mutant DNA? Who would take it willingly? And who would use it for their own gain? Magneto or Mystique certainly were two possibilities, the but former Principal Kelly (who, amazingly, played an actual _senator _in the first X-Men-inspired movie) and certain government officials were just as likely to use it to wipe out the entire mutant population. It would become survival of the fittest for both mutants _and_ humans.

Rogue paused the music coming from her iPod nano abruptly, checking to make sure no one was trying to call her. She probably couldn't face anyone even if there _was _someone calling her. She freely admitted she was acting a little… insecure, but wasn't ready to do anything about it. So, reluctantly, she turned the music on again, alone with only her thoughts to comfort her. And even _they_ weren't all that comforting.

The most uncomfortable question of the moment revolved solely around what decision _she_ would make. Rogue was untouchable, and it could all go away with a single vaccination- hypothetically speaking, of course.

Of course, with every pro came a con. She wouldn't be able to live here anymore. She would have to leave her only family. After all, she wouldn't have powers anymore. She knew that the teachers would try to convince her to stay, but she wouldn't be able to face everyone with no powers.

But, after she _did _leave, she could go anywhere, meet anyone, all without the fear of accidentally hurting them by touch.

_If_ there was such an antidote. But there wasn't. Rogue had to keep reminding herself of that, as it seemed.

The knock on hers and Kitty's door jarred her from her deliberation. She grimaced. She hadn't wanted to talk to anyone. Finally, she called out, "Ya'll can come in- if ya'd lahke." The door opened. Scott stood in the doorway, looking more than a little uncomfortable. She shifted from lying on her back to resting on her elbows, smiling a little at her leader's discomfort.

"Umm, Rogue- uh, the Professor- dinner's ready." He stuttered, smiling apologetically. She found it cute how the undeniable Boy Scout could be so clumsy around someone like her. Rogue imagined she was pretty, if she maybe took the time to remove some of her make-up and wear more "visibly friendly" clothes. He had no need to agonize over acting like the "nice" guy.

"Ah don't think Ah'm gonna have any dinner tonight, Scott," she said offering up a small smile, "Ah'm not real hungry." She sat up fully, kicking off her clunky boots before pulling her legs up to her chest. Realizing Scott was still in the room, and remembering her manners, she pulled out her headphones, laying them next to her iPod.

"Too busy wondering about that stupid excuse for a movie to eat?" he asked, smiling in what on any other person she might have considered a smirk. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling he might've winked at her, if her wasn't wearing those glasses.

After a moment's thought, Scott entered her room, sitting down on Kitty's bed, adjacent to Rogue. He definitely stood out like a sore thumb, against her roommate's pale pink bedspread and menagerie of stuffed animals. She could tell he knew it, too, but she respected his trying valiantly to ignore that particular detail.

"If it was real, that injection- I'd take it."

His statement jolted Rogue from her musings. Once she understood what he had been referencing to, she raised a lone eyebrow in perplexity. "You…? Ya would?" She couldn't keep the shock out of her voice, and was more than a little ashamed of it.

He ducked his head in embarrassment, then looked up again. His smile was sheepish as he mumbled, "Gladly. I mean, after awhile… it gets… boring, seeing only the color red." Rogue blushed, realizing how idiotic she had been. Of _course_ Scott would hate his powers. He was as vulnerable as she was. He had no chance of ever controlling the power, let alone being able to remove his glasses. She felt like kicking herself for her slip.

"Would you?" He didn't need to explain himself. She understood completely. It was just harder to form her feelings into words.

"Ah… Ah don't know. Ah've wanted to touch someone- skin-to-skin contact, no worries- for so long, but the actual possibility, actually _becoming_ human… The same things that have insulted and feared and harassed us at every turn… It would be too hard for me to go back to what Ah've spent so many years avoiding." She ran a tired hand through her two-toned hair and slumped back on the bed, exasperated.

She noticed Scott, after staring for a couple of seconds, do the same on Kitty's twin bed. After a minute's silence, Rogue finally burst, "But what Ah'd do to control these damned things." She held her glove-encased hands in front of her and sneered, disgusted. Finally, she peeled off her gloves, tossing each one into a corner of the room.

"I know how you feel," he replied sincerely. She smiled gratefully back. She really did believe him. "Hey, at least you can remove you're gloves. It's not quite as easy for me," he joked, but there was a certain gravity underneath his sentiment.

She sighed. "Sorry 'bout that. D'ya want meh put mah gloves back on?" She said, sympathizing his distress.

He immediately shook his head. "No, Rogue, I'm happy that you can at least do that." They slipped into an almost uncomfortable silence until Scott quipped, "But, hey what about that movie? At least you had a part. My actor died within the first half-hour or so."

Rogue sat back up again, laughing a little. "Don't forget Jean an' Logan makin' out afterwards." He tossed one of Kitty's pillows at her head, which she ducked.

She shot him a dirtly look, continuing on, "But Ah don' know… You're not the one who got jealous of _Bobby_ and _Kitty_. Ah think that tops everything else. Well, except for maybe Jean's role this year. To think, _Jean_ of all people being an uncontrollable monster, only held tame by the Prof." She quieted abruptly, thinking. "You don' think the Prof. would ever _do_ somethan' like that, do you?"

Scott sat up. "Of course not, Rogue. He's our professor. He's only out for our well-being, and nothing more."

She nodded. Scott was right. He _was_ the most sensible of them all, that was why he was the team's leader. Cheering herself up, she murmured, "'Least you an' Ah've got one comfort, despite our super-sucky powers- we've got a bunch teachers, colleagues and friends that would gladly listen to us rant an' rave when the goin' gets tough."

He smiled broadly. "Well, we do have that- but there's something else you forgot." She tilted her head in confusion, waiting for him to elaborate. He leaned in a closer, despite the feet between each bed, as though to tell a secret. "We've got each other."

Despite her brooding goth exterior, Rogue did nothing to prevent her all-teeth grin. Nodding, she murmured back,

"That we do."

**--END—**

Alright I'll tell you: for no intents or purposes, did I intend this to be a Scogue-centered fic. This was _supposed_ to be my break from that particular fascination in order for me to do a _Rogue_-centered fic, but nonetheless. Despite that particular curveball my mind decided to throw me, I did enjoy writing this fic. I hope you did, too.


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